A Medical Hiccup

We had a fun and busy season. Played lots of golf and participated in many of the activities here at the resort. Kevin did have a medical issue crop up, which we dealt with for much of the winter.

In early January, he was experiencing some chest tightness and pressure when walking the nine hole golf course. He happened to have a scheduled visit with his primary doctor, who referred him to a cardiologist. After many tests and office visits, it was determined that he had blockage in his main artery. The plan was to do an angiogram and place a stent or stents during that procedure, which was scheduled for late March. During all of this time, as long as he didn't exert himself too much, he was feeling fine and playing golf most days using the riding cart.

Of course, waiting for the procedure made us feel as if we were sitting on pins and needles hoping he didn't have a heart attack. He did have nitroglycerin pills which he never needed to take. Turns out the stent was not possible due to the location of the blockage and the thickness of it. The cardiologist was not able to get the stent in.

So, next step is to see a heart surgeon to discuss bypass surgery. After many more tests and a few office visits, bypass surgery was scheduled for May 9th. It turned out to be a double bypass. The main artery was 99.5% blocked and quite a bit of it had blockage. A secondary artery was 70% blocked and was also bypassed. Kevin asked me not to post anything about this until it was over. Our kids and some friends at the park were the only ones who knew.

The good news is that the surgery was a success. Today is day two post surgery, and he is doing great. He even did three laps around the nurses station. Tomorrow he is being moved from the ICU to a regular room. He should be coming home early next week. He allowed me to take this picture to prove he is doing well!

We are very impressed with the team of doctors and nurses at the Yuma Regional Medical Center. His care has been excellent. We are so grateful for the love and support of our family and friends and for the successful outcome of all of this. We are again reminded that you never know what life will throw at you; so live life to the fullest as much as you can!

Our original plans were to leave Yuma at the end of May so we could be in Nebraska for Korey and Cathryn's baby shower. That's not happening. I will fly there instead. After some rehab and recovery, the doctor estimates a two to three month recovery time. So, we are hoping to leave Yuma around the end of July so we can meet our new granddaughter who is due in early July. Then, we'll head to our lot in Wisconsin and leave our fifth wheel there.

Our trip to Australia and New Zealand in October and November is still on. Hopefully, that will all work out!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!